Willard Brown was
on the short list of players who were mentioned as "can't miss"
prospects at the time when Jackie Robinson was chosen to break the Major
League's color line.

In the 1940s Brown
was perhaps second only to Josh Gibson in power hitting, and perhaps
second to none in footspeed (Cool Papa Bell was in his 40s by this time).

Brown grew up in
Shreveport, LA and played his first pro ball with the 1934 Monroe Monarchs,
a team that also boasted star pitchers Barney Morris and Hilton Smith.
Smith signed with the Kansas City Monarchs in 1936 and, except for timeouts
for military service in World War II and a shot at organized ball, he
stayed with them until 1950.

Brown had all the
tools to be one of the best players ever: a great glove, arm, speed
and power. Other players agreed, though, that he was a "Sunday
player," meaning that he played hard in front of big crowds but
loafed on other occasions.

Regardless, Brown
put up some impressive numbers in his career. He was an All-Star 5 times,
and batted in the cleanup spot for the Monarchs as they won the Negro
American League pennant 5 times in 6 years from '37 to '42. In 1945
he belted 4 homers in a game.

Brown was a fan
favorite in the Puerto Rican winter leagues where he was nicknamed "Esse
Hombre" meaning "the man!" Brown won the Puerto Rican
batting title 3 straight years ('47-'50) and had home runs totals of
18, 16 and 14 in the short season.

Brown served in
the Army in 1944 and '45, and helped his team win the G.I. World Series
by blasting a homer off of Major Leaguer Ewell Blackwell.

During the 1946
Negro League World Series, Brown, Ted Strong and Satchel Paige all went
AWOL from the Monarchs right before game 7, supposedly lining up their
winter league contracts, and the Monarchs lost to the Newark Eagles
3-2.

In 1947, only a
few months after Jackie Robinson broke into the Majors with Brooklyn,
the St. Louis Browns signed Brown and Hank Thompson.
Brown was the first black player in American League history to homer
(an inside-the-park smash). Brown didn't want to be in St. Louis,
though, St. Louis fans didn't want him in St. Louis, and he was soon
back
with
the
Monarchs
where
he finished his Negro League career.

Brown has something of a second career when he signed with Dallas of
the Texas League in 1953 and, with his booming bat, became one of the
most popular players in Minor League history. Brown played two seasons
each with Dallas and Houston, led each team to a Texas League pennant,
and never batted lower than .299.

Brown retired in
Houston, where he remained a celebrity until the day he died.

Brown may have not
lived up to his full potential, but he certainly had a lot of fun playing
ball.